Walker Nature Center
BRANCHING OUT
A LOOK INSIDE • Calendar 4 • Kids’ Corner 6 • Support Your Soil 7 • Spring Festival 8
Nature Notes By Pam Findley
MARCH • • • • •
Wood Violets bloom. Red Maple trees bloom. Mourning Doves begin to nest. Groundhogs emerge and mate. March 20, Vernal Equinox – First day of Spring
APRIL • • • • •
Canada Geese lay eggs. Dogwood and Redbud trees bloom. American Toads lay eggs in ponds and streams. Bloodroot, Trillium and Virginia Bluebells bloom. April 22, 23 – Lyrids Meteor Shower
MAY • • • • •
Beaver young are born. Eastern Box Turtles lay eggs. Mayapple, Wood Poppy and Jack-in-the-Pulpit bloom. Mountain Laurel and Rhododendron shrubs are in bloom. May 16 – Total Lunar Eclipse
Pool Time So Soon? By Susan Sims
Spring arrives with fresh air, bursts of flowers, the green scent of new growth and around here – the loud calls of frogs. While people tend to hit the outdoor pools after Memorial Day, nature’s pools are already teeming with life. One of Reston’s most unique habitats is the vernal pool, found in shady, low-lying areas, along sloping pathways, and near stream beds throughout the forest. These small temporary bodies of water aren’t just muddy puddles. They provide crucial habitat for many types of amphibians, invertebrates, and plants, including our beacon of spring, the Wood Frog.
Pool Season for Frogs
Vernal pools hold freshwater in spring, hence their name. They are relatively small and usually dry up during summer. For this reason, they do not contain fish. The lack of predatory fish allows other small creatures to develop in the shallow water. Without a connection to another water body, vernal pools rely on snow and ice melt as well as rainwater to keep them wet.
Often overlooked in wetland conservation, vernal pools are part of a healthy forest ecosystem. Each year, the pools receive fallen tree leaves that provide camouflage and contribute nutrients and microbes. When the pools drain, they leave behind decomposed material that feeds surrounding soils. Plants that thrive near vernal pools include Skunk Cabbage, Jewelweed, and ephemerals like Turk’s Cap Lily.
Need for A Pool
Beyond being popular watering holes for woodland creatures and nurseries for a variety of amphibians and insects like damselflies and water bugs, vernal pools are an absolute necessity for the survival of certain species. True vernal pool wetlands require the presence of breeding indicator species known as obligates. In Reston, these obligates include the Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) and the Wood frog (Lithobates sylvatica).
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Spring | 22 | Volume Twenty-three